An economic evaluation of clopidogrel in patients with vascular disease

grantor: University of TorontoAn economic evaluation was undertaken to estimate costs and survival outcomes with clopidogrel, a novel antiplatelet vs comparator drug treatment in patients with ischemic stroke (IS), myocardial infarction (MI) or peripheral arterial disease (PAD). From a decision analytic model, the use of clopidogrel ($2.47/day) vs ASA ($0.0147/day) as 1st line treatment was associated with a projected gain of 0.29 years on average per patient at a cost of $32,240 per life year (LY) gained for MI, IS and PAD populations. In the PAD population, clopidogrel vs ASA generated 0.94 LYs at $11,401 per LY gained. In 2 nd line therapy scenarios, clopidogrel vs ticlopidine ($2.18/day) generated 0.11 LYs at $19,852 per LY gained per stroke patient while clopidogrel vs placebo offered an additional 0.37 LYs at $26,084 per LY gained per MI patient. This comprehensive economic evaluation assists in quantifying the "value" and defining rational prescribing guidelines of a new therapy.M.Sc